chuckyab Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Hi, I am considering purchasing a used Helix. I understand you can only have the warranty transferred if you have the original sales receipt, or you call in, and the previous owner has registered it, and the unit is less than 2 years old. So if I purchase a Helix that appears to be in good condition, but no receipt and I understand I am at risk with no warranty.. How reasonable are the repair cost through the Line 6 repair center on this unit "IF" it breaks? Has anyone here had to send their Helix for repair and have been billed for it ? thank you for all the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Like anything electronic, it totally depends on the nature of the repair. If it's something relatively minor, it would probably not be too bad. If it's something major, like one of the board needs replaced, that could be quite costly, and it would likely eat up any of the savings you saw buying used versus new. Are you sure the original owner doesn't have the receipt? If he bought it online, he could likely track it down. Honestly, I would be hesitant to spend a lot of money on any piece of used electronic equipment without a warranty. Generally, I think the Helix stuff is reliable, but you never know what can happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 There's no way to answer that question... it's like asking "how much does it cost to fix a Honda Civic?" Is the turn signal busted, or did the transmission fall out on your way to 7-11? Those will be two very different repair bills... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckyab Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 Thank you, maybe I worded my question incorrectly. I should have asked, has anyone sent their Helix for repair without warranty coverage? What was your repair and estimated cost to fix ? Maybe I should buy one new, I am on the fence here.. :-| Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erabjohns Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I went through the same dilemma. I ended up buying used through a retailer that gave me a 6 month warranty. I figured if the thing was going to die, it would be because it bricked during an update and wanted to make sure I was covered for that. So far, it's been perfectly reliable. Even if you bought new and had a warranty, the thing could crap out the day after your warranty expires and you'd be in the same situation as if you bought it used. Warranty does buy piece of mind for a couple years anyway. If I buy used, the price absolutely has to be worth it. If I'm only saving $200, it's not worth it. Also, I need to have at least a 30 day warranty so that if the thing bricks will doing the initial update, I'm not on the hook. The Helix has been out for a while now and I don't see that many threads of completely failed units compared to say the POD HD which had consistent bricking problems during firmware updates. The Helix is Line 6's baby, so if something is going to get the best QC, it's going to be the Helix. Use this link to find authorized Line 6 repair centers and give them a call. I'm sure they can tell you what the common repairs are and the ballpark cost. https://line6.com/find/service_center/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specracer986 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I bought my Helix used, I'm guessing about two years ago now. I've never had a problem with it, but I'm fairly light on my feet. I don't stomp the crp out of the switches or the pedal. I don't let the unit bounce off the floor when I move it. I don't twist the connectors around when plugging things in or out. I'm light with the joy stick. I think you can avoid a lot of hardware issues by not acting like a gorilla with it. I've had no problem with updates either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Just now, specracer986 said: I bought my Helix used, I'm guessing about two years ago now. I've never had a problem with it, but I'm fairly light on my feet. I don't stomp the crp out of the switches or the pedal. I don't let the unit bounce off the floor when I move it. I don't twist the connectors around when plugging things in or out. I'm light with the joy stick. I think you can avoid a lot of hardware issues by not acting like a gorilla with it. I've had no problem with updates either. Lol... indeed. With the exception of the occasional minor tweak at a gig, I hardly touch the joystick, buttons, or knobs on the unit anyway. It's far easier to muck around with HX Edit...I don't enjoy bending down to the floor any more than necessary these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundog Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I almost always buy my music electronics and instruments used, though from a seller I trust (usually Craigslist, Ebay, or open box). These days most electronics stuff is solid chinese circuit board with peripheral stuff (LED display, switches, knobs, ins and outs) connected. I've never had anything major go wrong. If a wire should separate or a switch or plug go bad, I can open the thing up and fix it (I've gotten dangerous with a soldering iron). No worries about voiding the warranty cause there isn't one! Like @specracer986, I take care of my equipment, new or used. If I resell the thing, I usually recover around 80—110% of what I paid, versus 50—80% if I bought it new. That said, I have a feeling an official Line 6 repair out of warranty would be expensive and if you're overly concerned, consider buying an open box or refurb unit with full warranty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilrahi Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I'm basically just repeating what others said here, but it would be helpful to know just how much you're saving vs. a new one. Is the sales price $600 for a very well cared for unit? Well holy crap man jump on that. A Helix appears to be very reliable, and even if it did break, the odds of it being a $900 repair are very low. Is the sales price $1300? Ummm . . . are you sure you wouldn't rather just drop the extra $200 for piece of mind? There are other considerations too. When Line 6 had their big Firehawk 1500 sale in July ($799 vs. $999) the "open box" versions cost $700. Now, $100 is not a huge savings, but the place I was ordering from guaranteed the open box was like new. I added a three year accidental damage warranty (because I knew the thing was like hauling around a small building) for $130. My end cost was $30 more than new, but I actually had more solid piece of mind. Plus, when the unit arrived it was exactly as promised - I tried to find the evidence that it had been opened before and I couldn't. It was that nice. Why the long story? Because your decision is two parts. There's the math part, and the subjective part. To some, my story of the warranty is a complete waste of money. To me, it was very solid piece of mind. By the way, I bought the HX Stomp new with no additional warranty because I feel Line 6's 2 years is enough. However, I would not feel safe buying a used HX Stomp without a warranty at this point because it's a device yet to be proven. So there's a lot to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckyab Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 Thank you for all the input. I will update with my decision in a few days. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherHeath Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 I just bought an hx stomp b-stock with 2-year warranty. It looks brand new, twist tie on the power chord appeared to have never been touched, and everything was taped up; no broken seals on anything or evidence of re-taping. I think I got lucky and maybe they just sent me a new one. It was $517 on ebay; Pyremax or something similar was the name of the company. Best pedal I've bought so far; haven't bought a ton of pedals, but I have a full pedal board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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